III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 237 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on reaching an agreement on the future 

status of Kosovo. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 

Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself, Mr. LUGAR, and Mr. BIDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on reaching an agreement 

on the future status of Kosovo. 

Whereas, on June 10, 1999, the United Nations Security 

Council adopted Resolution 1244 which authorized the 

Secretary-General of the United Nations to establish an 

interim administration for Kosovo to assume the supreme 

legal authority in Kosovo with the task of promoting 

‘‘substantial autonomy and self-governance’’ in Kosovo 

and facilitating a political process to determine the future 

status of Kosovo; 

Whereas, on December 10, 2003, the United Nations interim 

administration, known as the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, presented the Standards 
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for Kosovo document which set out the requirements to 

be met to advance stability in Kosovo; 

Whereas the Standards for Kosovo require the establishment 

of functioning democratic institutions in Kosovo, including providing for the holding of elections, establishing the 

Provisional Institutions of Self-Government, and establishing media and civil society, the establishment of rule 

of law to ensure equal access to justice and to implement 

mechanisms to suppress economic and financial crime, 

and the establishment of freedom of movement in 

Kosovo, including the free use of language; 

Whereas the Standards for Kosovo further require sustainable returns and the rights of communities and their 

members, improvements in economic and financial institutions, including the prevention of money laundering 

and the establishment of an attractive environment for 

investors, the establishment of property rights, including 

the preservation of cultural heritage, and the development of a sustained dialogue, including a Pristina-Belgrade dialogue and a regional dialogue; 

Whereas the ethnic violence that occurred in Kosovo from 

March 17, 2004 through March 19, 2004, represented a 

severe setback to the progress the people of Kosovo 

achieved in implementing the Standards for Kosovo and 

resulted in 20 deaths and damage to or destruction of 

approximately 900 homes and 30 Serbian Orthodox 

churches and other religious sites; 

Whereas the bomb attacks against the people and international institutions in Kosovo that occurred from July 

2, 2005 through July 4, 2005, were unacceptable events 

that work counter to the interests and efforts of the majority of the people of Kosovo and signal that more work 
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must be done to promote the implementation of the 

Standards for Kosovo; 

Whereas the status of Kosovo, which is neither stable nor 

sustainable, is a critical issue affecting the aspirations of 

Southeast Europe for stability, peace, and eventual membership in the European Union; 

Whereas the authorities and institutions of Kosovo must be 

empowered to act independently to achieve the Standards 

for Kosovo so that such authorities and institutions may 

assume responsibility for any progress or setbacks; 

Whereas 2005 must be a year of decision for representatives 

of Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, and the United Nations to move forward on the status of Kosovo; 

Whereas the basic values of multi-ethnicity, democracy, and 

market-orientation must remain at the heart of any effort 

to resolve the question of the future status of Kosovo; 

and 

Whereas the support of all of the people of Kosovo is required 

to achieve a successful outcome that addresses those 

basic values: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the unresolved status of Kosovo is neither 

3 sustainable nor beneficial to the progress toward sta4 bility and peace in Southeast Europe and its inte5 gration with Europe; 

6 (2) the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia and Mon7 tenegro and the representatives of the United Na8 tions should work toward an agreement on the fu-
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1 ture status of Kosovo and a plan for transformation 

2 in Kosovo; 

3 (3) such agreement and plan should— 

4 (A) address the claims and satisfy the key 

5 concerns of the people of Kosovo and the people 

6 of Serbia and Montenegro; 

7 (B) seek compromises from both Kosovo 

8 and Serbia and Montenegro to reach an agree9 ment; 

10 (C) promote the integration of Southeast 

11 Europe with the European Union and the 

12 North Atlantic Treaty Organization; 

13 (D) reinforce efforts to encourage full co14 operation by the governments of Kosovo and of 

15 Serbia and Montenegro with the International 

16 Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia; 

17 (E) promote stability in the region and 

18 take into consideration the stability of democ19 racy in Kosovo and in Serbia and Montenegro; 

20 (F) promote the active participation of 

21 Serbians in Kosovo in elections and in the gov22 ernment of Kosovo; and 

23 (G) require the fulfillment of the Stand24 ards for Kosovo, the requirements that the 

25 United Nations Interim Administration Mission 
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1 in Kosovo established to advance stability in 

2 Kosovo, in accordance with prior commitments 

3 and in support of the initiation of discussions 

4 on status with particular emphasis on the prob5 lem of human rights in minority communities; 

6 (4) the anticipated discussions of the long-term 

7 status of Kosovo should result in a plan for imple8 menting the Standards for Kosovo, particularly with 

9 regard to minority protections, return of property, 

10 and the development of rule of law as it relates to 

11 the improvement of protection of minorities, the re12 turn of internally displaced persons, the return of 

13 property, and the prosecution of human rights viola14 tions; and 

15 (5) Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, and the 

16 United Nations, during the negotiations related to 

17 the long-term status of Kosovo, should require— 

18 (A) increased monitoring and reporting of 

19 the progress on the implementation of the 

20 Standards for Kosovo and any incidents of 

21 human rights violations, and should broaden 

22 the involvement of minorities and community23 level representatives in monitoring, reporting, 

24 and publicizing that progress; 
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1 (B) that the authorities and institutions of 

2 Kosovo be given greater authority and inde3 pendence in fulfilling the Standards for Kosovo, 

4 including assuming the responsibility for any 

5 setbacks and progress and acquiring experience 

6 in assuming greater autonomy; and 

7 (C) a broad public awareness campaign to 

8 raise awareness of both the plan to resolve the 

9 question of the status of Kosovo and the re10 quirements for the transition of Kosovo to a 

11 permanent status, including the importance of 

12 the progress in implementing the Standards for 

13 Kosovo and the necessity of ensuring peace and 

14 suppressing all forms of discrimination and vio15 lence so that the region may move forward to16 ward a future of greater prosperity, stability, 

17 and lasting peace. 

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